Democrat COWARDS

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Of the 28 other (not right to work states) 20 of them have a positive general fund balance.

It's not surprising that half of the rtw states are in the south. They've been in a race to the bottom for a long time - just look at any measure - education level, quality of schools, income, health, etc.. and the south fares poorly.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

The above demonstrates my point that the left doesn't really care about "fairness" or whatever; they just want to destroy America.

This is a serious charge and of course you offer no proof. You don't even define what "destroy America" means.

Because the unions created the middle class in America and the middle class is America.

[ariscus99 1]

Because the unions created the middle class in America and the middle class is America.

Unions did nothing of the kind. America had a thriving middle class before the unions were ever a factor.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

It was when the workers, who through their sweat and blood and who created the profits for their rich employers, rose up and went on strike and died for it but who in the end were able to negotiate for better wages and working conditions. This was the beginning of the middle class. Up until this time, there were two classes - the very rich and the poor (the workers who made the very rich rich). As time went on and workers were able to negotiate for better wages, better working conditions, the end of child labor, the 40 hour work week, overtime, etc.. the middle class exploded and America grew and prospered.

As union membership declined so has the middle class and this coincides with the wealthy getting wealthier while holding more of the wealth in fewer hands. That is the ultimate goal of those on the right - to go back to that two class system - the poor and the very rich, but not before they cut most of the funding for the poor. And there we'll be - back to where we were at the beginning of the 20th century.

That's what they mean when they say "taking our country back"

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Add to this poll that 3, maybe 4, moderate republican WI senators are thinking about voting no on Walker's bill.

Walker is not going to pass this union busting bill without some kind of compromise.

Mon Feb 28, 2011 at 06:47 PM EST

Yes, Breaking: CBS/NYT Poll Shows Huge Support for Unions

CBS/NYT just released their polling on unions. Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and his Republican buddies will not be happy with the results.

On collective bargaining rights:

Americans oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by

a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent.

While a slim majority of Republicans favored taking away some bargaining rights, they were outnumbered by large majorities of Democrats and independents who said they opposed weakening them.

By party ID:

The poll found that an overwhelming 71 percent of Democrats opposed weakening collective bargaining rights. But there was also strong opposition from independents: 62 percent of them said they opposed taking bargaining rights away from public employee unions.

Independents on our side in big numbers - I like the sound of that. And a 2:1 edge overall? That's landslide territory, not even close.

On cutting pay and benefits:

Those surveyed said

they opposed, 56 percent to 37 percent, cutting the pay or benefits of public employees

to reduce deficits, breaking down along similar party lines. A majority of respondents who have no union members living in their households opposed both cuts in pay or benefits and taking away the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

The above is the question that most often tilts away from us, at least in the context of these recessionary times. Could it be that Republicans are SO overplaying their hands that there's a backlash brewing in favor of unions, even on pay issues?

Also, again - independents and non-union households...on our side.

On current pay levels:

61 percent of those polled — including just over half of Republicans — said they thought the salaries and benefits of most public employees were either “about right” or “too low” for the work they do.

OK, now we're really cooking. Even Republicans don't think pay is too high for public sector employees? Holy cow. Something's going on here.

The numbers are slightly tighter for whether retirement benefits are too generous for public workers - but even there, the plurality tilts toward the union position.

Forty-nine percent said police officers and firefighters should be able to retire and begin receiving pension checks even if they are in their 40s or 50s; 44 percent said they should have to be older. There was a similar divide on whether teachers should be able to retire and draw pensions before they are 65.

Folks, we're going to win this. The numbers are just too lopsided. It's no wonder some Republicans are starting to back down, even those not known for moderation, like Florida's Rick Scott.

The tide is turning. Let's keep fighting.

Update:

And a few other interesting points:

Asked how they would choose to reduce their state’s deficits, those polled preferred tax increases over benefit cuts for state workers by nearly two to one.

When tax increases poll better than your position, you've got a bit of a problem. Listening, Gov?

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Move over corporate-sponsored tea party phonies - these are real middle class people in support of real middle class issues:

http://front.moveon.org/50-photos-from-the-50-state-rallies-to-save-the-american-dream/?id=26344-1468554-EpcmAox

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Biden: Unions Created America's Middle Class

Appearing before a packed Pipe Fitters union hall in Opa-Locka, Fla., Sen. Joe Biden set the tone for his 90-minute Working Families Vote 2008 town hall meeting right off the bat.

I'm in the U.S. Senate because of the union movement. I got elected by 3,000 votes in 1972 because of organized labor.

Biden, wearing a suit and a Pipefitters Local 725 hat, spoke with more than 250 boisterous union members who'd gathered to participate in the town hall, part of a series the AFL-CIO is holding with presidential candidates in cities across the nation.

Biden's appearance combined serious discussion about policy on issues like the war in Iraq, retirement security and the freedom to join and form unions with personaloften poignantrecollections of how the union movement helped shape his career. He also showed a penchant for humor, peppering his remarks with amusing anecdotes that the crowd of union workers clearly enjoyed.

In the neighborhood I grew up in, you either became a fireman, policeman or a priest. I couldn't do any of those things so I became a U.S. senator.

In his opening remarks, Biden went after the Bush administration's appalling record on workers' rights.

This president didn't just declare war on Iraq, he declared war on the union movement in this country…for this (administration), labor reform means get out of the way.

Biden went on to praise the union movement as "the only thing that keeps the barbarians at the gate."

"There is a middle class in this country for one reason and only one reason: the union movement," Biden said to roaring applause.

[ariscus99 1]

Changed this little tidbit for you.

This is a serious charge and you offer no proof. You don't even define what "exploded, middle class, or wealthy" means.

Also, a quick question -- what decade in American history saw the fastest rise in real economic output, real GDP, and real per capita income growth? And how much of this can be contributed to organized labor?

[ariscus99 1]

So here's some more democrat hypocrisy for you, I know some don't like to believe it happens, or will just point a finger in the other direction when confronted with it, but here it is:

From the Daily Caller

"After the vote to engross, he turns to a female conservative Republican, who is also from the Oshkosh area, looks at her and says, 'You are f—ing dead,'" Sykes said. "He didn't say 'f—ing,' he said the whole thing. He says to a female colleague, 'You are f—ing dead.'"

And from the NHjournal

A Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts is raising the stakes in the nation's fight over the future of public employee unions, saying emails aren't enough to show support and that it is time to "get a little bloody."

"I'm proud to be here with people who understand that it's more than just sending an email to get you going. Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary," Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Ma.) told a crowd in Boston on Tuesday rallying in solidarity for Wisconsin union members.

These would roughly be the same democrats calling for more civility and less violent rhetoric from the "right". How do you spell hypocrite? d-e-m-o-c-r-a-t. Now instead of addressing the issue, cue the finger pointing in the other direction in,

5

4

3

2

[Cleo's Mom 257]

WI voters are having buyer's remorse:

A Public Policy Polling survey of Wisconsin voters indicates that if given the chance to redo November's elections, they would vote for Walker's opponent, Tom Barrett. If an election were held today, Barrett would defeat Walker 52 percent to 45 percent, according to the firm's findings. Most of this change stems from a sharp decline in support from union families (go figure) who would vote against Walker by 31-points, up from 14 in November. The good news for Walker is that a good chunk of that 17 point drop is camped outside his office building at this very instant. So if he acts now he can avoid a tiresome statewide campaign swing in one fell swoop. [PPP]

Americans around the country are not on Walker's side and neither are the voters of Wisconsin. This man's political career is over. One term governor.

Also, to prove that he isn't concerned about jobs (just union busting) - he turned down billions in federal money for a rail system that would create about 5500 jobs. That money, and the jobs, are now going to Illinois.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

"I'm proud to be here with people who understand that it's more than just sending an email to get you going. Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary," Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Ma.) told a crowd in Boston on Tuesday rallying in solidarity for Wisconsin union members.

He's absolutely right. Our history is filled with stories about those working class people who took to the streets to support better wages, safer working conditions ,etc and were beaten, or even killed. They were our martyrs. So, our streets are red with the blood of those who fought for the things we enjoy and take for granted today. Today's protestors know this.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

It was unions that built the middle class

Posted: Saturday, August 26, 2006

By By Richard A. Levins

MinutemanMedia.org

As Labor Day approaches, it's time for an honest assessment of where working people are. Wages, even for college graduates, are falling behind inflation. The number of families in poverty is growing. The middle-class debt load is off the charts and the personal savings rate is below zero. The costs of a college education, of health insurance, of energy for heating and driving, and of pharmaceuticals grow out of reach for more Americans with each passing day.

What economists call the "income distribution" is, from a middle class perspective, as bad as it has been since the Great Depression. During the Roaring '20s, the split between rich and poor grew exceptionally large, leaving relatively few in the middle class. In the decades following the Depression, things began to change for the better as income and wealth became more evenly distributed. But now we are back to where we were as the nation stood on the brink of its greatest economic catastrophe ever. The very rich are richer than ever, but the rest of us are falling behind at an increasingly rapid pace.

The history of labor unions in America helps tell the story of why we are losing the middle class. Private-sector unionization was legislated during the Depression. Union membership grew into the mid-20th century, then began a slow decline that continues today. Remember the income distribution numbers: a weak middle class in the Depression, a strong middle class in the decades following, and a weakening middle class now. The way these numbers generally track those for union activity is no coincidence.

Unions equalize power in the market place between those who work and those who own something. Those who work are the stuff of which the middle class is made. Those who own fill the ranks of the very wealthy. When the balance of power is with labor unions, the gains from production stay with the middle class. When the balance shifts as it has today, the very wealthy take an ever-larger share from economic activity.

As the very wealthy become even more so, they do not spend money in the way middle-class people do. After all, how many houses and cars, no matter how fine, can one have? Once people have more money than they can possibly spend on goods and services, they no longer use it in ways that stimulate the economy. Instead, they use the power their money brings to get more tax breaks, less regulation, more support for globalization, and policies that favor capital over labor. The middle class continues to weaken.

In spite of all this, we are told not to worry, because the United States is becoming what some politicians call an "ownership society." Instead of supporting unions that bring decent wages to working people, we are advised to buy shares in the corporations that profit when wages are falling. Meanwhile, we ignore the most important aspect of our economy -- that we are a great market for goods and services.

The trouble with all strategies that trade good jobs for cheap toasters is that they eventually erode that very market for the goods and services. A handful of hyper-wealthy individuals, along with millions of people living on the economic edge, are not the sound, stable market needed for growth. Only the middle class, with buying power widely distributed, can provide that. And that is what we are losing today.

This Labor Day, let's remember that rebalancing power in the economy is essential if the middle class is to thrive. Doing this, however, will require more than our government alone reasonably can be expected to deliver. We must act together in the marketplace as well. The way to do that is the way we have always done it -- to join and support the unions that built the middle class in the first place.

Richard A. Levins is a senior fellow at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy -- www.iatp.org. He is a professor emeritus of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. His most recent book, "Middle Class * Union Made" is available from Itasca books at www.itascabooks.com

[ariscus99 1]

"I'm proud to be here with people who understand that it's more than just sending an email to get you going. Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary," Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Ma.) told a crowd in Boston on Tuesday rallying in solidarity for Wisconsin union members.

He's absolutely right. Our history is filled with stories about those working class people who took to the streets to support better wages, safer working conditions ,etc and were beaten, or even killed. They were our martyrs. So, our streets are red with the blood of those who fought for the things we enjoy and take for granted today. Today's protestors know this.

HYPOCRISY thy name is DEMOCRATS.

[ariscus99 1]

One democrat after railing about the violent rhetoric does the same thing he was condemning a few weeks ago, and another tells a female coworker that she is "fucking dead" and you have nothing to say? Disgraceful. You've hit a new low.

[ariscus99 1]

Also, to prove that he isn't concerned about jobs (just union busting) - he turned down billions in federal money for a rail system that would create about 5500 jobs. That money, and the jobs, are now going to Illinois.

Like the Florida governor he turned this down because if it fails the fallout would be on the state with no support from the feds potentially bankrupting them. I don't blame him.